One of the finest reasons to secure your permit for a stay at Murphy Hogback campground is the world class 360-degree view. Three lonesome and seculded campsites are tucked into protective nooks of pinyon and boulders while a short stroll through the desert will bring you to this view point. Catch the sunset here.

A trip out to Murphy Hogback is only done by foot in a 10.8-mile loop hike that starts from the paved road above on the mesa in Canyonlands, or by 43 miles of dirt road on the White Rim Trail. The trek, either by foot, bike, or 4WD, is a memorable one into an otherworldy landscape.

If you're into driving scenic dirt roads, the White Rim Trail belongs on your shortlist. Over 100 miles of mind-bending scenery, some folks prefer to ride this on a mountain bike. Sometimes with the support of a chase vehicle to carry the gear and, in our case, the rest of the family. It's one long orgasmic scenic drive.

Along the White Rim Trail, and anywhere in Canyonlands, there's never a bad view. Though it's 100 miles long, an adventure trip on the White Rim Trail should never be dull. Brooke considers hopping in the saddle for a few miles if she can spot enough downhills . . .

It's all downhill from Murphy Hogback campground, and therefore a mighty fine place to swing a leg over a bike and ride for a few hours. Most of the trail is flat with mild obstacles making for good old fashioned fun riding.

Here's a worthwhile diversion just off the trail. As far as geologic formations go, Musselman Arch is a toothpick. Just five feet thick, six feet wide, 180 feet across and 300 feet to the ground, if you're feeling up for it take a stroll onto the arch. Greg and Sam didn't quite make it out to the "thin part."

At Murphy Hogback, you can enjoy casual biking and take in the views. If you're riding the White Rim Trail, this point is going to be memorable. It's a long, steady climb up, and then a rewarding big downhill for a few miles.

A sweet slot canyon that leads almost to the water's edge of the Green River is about 10 miles from Murphy Hogback but right off the road. It's an easy hike that weaves through water-shaped sandstone formations.

Along the White Rim Trail, desert critters have no place to be and all the time in the world. They'll casually wait for your eye to abaondon watch of your Cheeze-Its or snacks. The desert raven has no shame. She'll snatch a cracker right from your paws if your attention wanes.

Dusk decends, the air chills, there's no wi-fi, no chorus of man made noises except for the laughter and stories that emerge from kids and adults alike who are spending time together in a beautiful place. 6-year-old Samantha shows us how to properly play with a glow stick.

Traveling clockwise on the White Rim Trail, approximately two-thirds of the way through the road skirts along the goosenecks and bends of the Green River. Keep an eye out. Rafters and kayakers may float by.

In the upper right corner by the visitor center you'll see a double dashed line marked Shafer Trail. That's the beginning of the White Rim Trail. It loops south following the Colorado River then bends northward along the Green River and connects with the highway out of view on this map. Murphy Hogback camp is just left of center.

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***The best places to roll out the sleeping bag, cook a meal, cuddle with your sweetie and gaze at the stars are rarely easy to get to. Rightly so. I'm a believer in the yin and the yang, that there must be a price to be paid when you want the ultimate campsite. One of these high ranking sites, in my book, is the oddly named Murphy Hogback camp found nearly dead center in the backcountry of southern Utah's Canyonlands National Park.

It doesn't have much. Just three lonesome sites that share a pit toilet and no running water. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Like most recommendations you'll ever get from me, the appeal here isn't in things like whether or not the parking is any good, or if a site comes with a table. Murphy Hogback instead resides on a hilltop overlooking the vast and incomprehensible Martian red maze of sandstone canyons and spires that so name the park. Only accessed by a hiking trail (almost 11 miles round-trip) or by driving 43 miles of a long dirt road called the White Rim Trail.

We drove the road, and it's a classic. in the 1950s the Atomic Energy Commission carved the remote 100-mile road into the hard white sandstone along the canyon rim to search for uranium. They never found it, and the road sat until years later when cyclists descending on Moab discovered that the White Rim Trail makes one heck of an adventure ride. It's 100 miles of mostly flat and hardened ground, few obstacles, and a backcountry experience you can't get anywhere else. The hardest part depends on the direction you take the U-shaped trek. There's a set of lengthy, steep switchbacks at both ends. On the west end it's Mineral Bottom road; on the east it's the Shafer switchbacks.

You don't have to ride the road, you can drive it in a 4WD. Canyonlands National Park limits traffic to just a few fortunate adventurers every day, and allows camping only in the 20 spartan campsites sprinkled along the 100-mile road. Competition for permit reservations is fierce, so if you want to do this during the best time of the year, spring or fall, you'll need to secure yours about a year in advance. No joke.

My family and I arrived in Canyonlands on a 102-degree June morning with the hopes we could score a slot from a cancellation. Turns out, thanks to the heat, summertime is much easier to get on the White Rim Trail without making a reservation. Primetime fall and spring would be harder. Nevertheless the ranger at the backcountry office helped me out and told me I didn't want to miss camping at Murphy Hogback. We got the permits, spent the night in Moab, and bright and early the next morning we started our way down the Shafer switchbacks to the White Rim Trail. We arrived at Murphy Hogback two nights later, just as the sun lit up the western sky with a golden sunset. The ranger was right. Scroll through the photos above to get the rest of the story.

When To Go

Summer day temps rise above 100. With a gentle breeze, night is pefect. If you can handle it, go for it.

Fall, it should go without saying, gets much nicer with night temperatures dropping to chilly.

In winter it can snow.

Spring becomes the ideal time to be on the White Rim Trail and also the most difficult to get permits.

How to Get There

Canyonlands has three districts, all approached from different places. White Rim Trail and Murphy Hogback are in the Islands in the Sky District. From Moab, Utah take Highway 191 north 14 miles to Highway 313. Follow signs to Canyonlands National Park. Approximately a 30 minute drive from Moab.

Enjoyed your post about the campsite along the White Rim trail. My wife and I just completed a three night stay in May 2015 and stayed in three different campsites (Potato Bottom, Murphy and Airport). We had very different weather, with highs and lows about 10 degrees below average (60-65 in the day, 45-50 at night). We also had scattered rain and a little thunder, which meant some mud along the way. Resevations have changed and you can only make a back country camp reservation four months in advance and only on line. My wife and I took our two high clearance jeeps and we had no problems on the trail. We were celerbrating our 34th anniversary, are both retired and both over 60.